tiny & vicious || h.s ✔️

~37~

Song: Sober by Demi Lovato

Aria's POV

2 weeks ago...

The fire illuminated the dark setting. Clouds of smoke stretched across the shore we had crashed into. The fire sizzled and snapped but supplied us with some much-needed warmth.

Night had fallen and so had my broken wings. My sweet Niall was gone. He was gone. Shot in the chest three times and left for dead. Left to die alone.

A small figure pulled me out of my grief-filled daze. I briskly pulled Blair into my arms. I watched as Theo went running into his mother's arms. The children were distraught. Blair's fervent tears poured into the crook of my neck and I struggled to keep mine at bay. I wanted to scream. Screech from the highest mountains.

Another member of my family was gone. Killed in cold blood, and there was nothing I could do about it. The Callous Cartel escaped shortly after we crashed. They left dozens of corpses in their wake as they desperately fled the plane wreckage.

"See you soon, my little muppet." Those were his last words before he fled. Before he disappeared from my sight. I was too broken to kill him. Too broken to lodge a knife in his throat.

"Here's a head start." I told him, with gritted teeth and blood-thirsty eyes. "Before I hunt you down and burn your flesh."

He just threw me a quick glance and chuckled before leaving. Leaving us to mourn our hearts out. For something he did.

"Uncle Niall" Theo screamed. I blinked, allowing the fresh tears to spill over. Our children were weeping for their dead uncle. Blair was bashing the stones of his grave. Theo was desperately wiping the blood and dirt from his pale face.

"Please wake up Uncle Niall. You have to wake up!"

As if it was possible my heart tore a million times over and I was forced to turn and look away. Blood seeped from the fresh wound in my forehead, but I didn't care. Nothing hurt more than the grieving screams of our children.

I heard the tremble in their voice. I felt the empty pit in their chests. And yet there was nothing I could do about it.

"Blair" Harry's gruff voice piped up. He spoke in a serious yet sympathetic way. He was broken. Once again, he was broken and there was nothing I could do about it.

I am always helpless. I always seem to have no control these days. No control over the fate and survival of my family.

"Blair. Let your Uncle Niall rest please." Harry pleaded with our baby girl, but she didn't relent.

"No. He's alive Dad. He has to be!" Tears poured down our faces. Even Zayn had to turn away to hide his fallen tears. We yearned to ease their heart ache. To bring our cheery and beloved Niall back.

Blair continued to pound the grave we had built. She continued to uncover the stones placed gently on this body. Theo had run off into his grandmother's arms and sunk his head into the pit of her stomach. He craved the comfort that we could not give.

"Blair, baby please. Listen to me." Harry pleaded with our daughter once again. He crept closer to her, wary of her lashing out. "You need to listen to me." He gently placed her hands in his. She thrashed and kicked her father away. "I don't want to listen. I want Uncle Niall!" Blair fought Harry off and flung the stones again. I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to end her suffering.

"Blair!" I yelled softly. Blair stopped thrashing. She turned to meet my eyes. Tears poured down her flushed cheeks and I choked. I could see it. I could see the pain in her eyes. I could see the broken shards lodged in her little heart. The pain was suffocating her.

"Step away from him please" I urged her again and lifted her from the scene. Niall's eyes were closed a long while ago by Liam, but I could still feel them staring. I could feel them boring into the guilty pits of my soul. I could feel the bile rising in my throat, but I forced it down and peered away from the grave.

I led Blair away and she immediately crashed into Anne. Her grandmother fought through her own tears and hugged her grandchildren like her life depended on it.

"Aria, his body is getting too cold, we must bury him." Louis's broken voice filled the air. The bright blue in his eyes had dulled to a lifeless grey. I looked away and turned to Niall once again.

I crouched next to his half-buried body. I suddenly felt the urge to touch his face one last time. I hesitantly extended my arm to reach his dormant face. I flinched when the coldness of his skin touched mine.

He was so cold. Tears rushed down my cheeks and I choked on my sobs.

"My sweet, sweet Niall" I cried. My cries turned to screams and I before I knew it, I was being comforted by my loved ones. My entire family crouched around me, covering me in their warm embrace. Blair crept into my lap and I latched onto her. I stared into the lifeless soul of my best friend. His expression was calm and at ease. He almost seemed peaceful and I found myself envying him for a second. He was going to see Jordyn. He was going to live amongst her and Angel. He was going to spend eternity with them in peace while I was selfishly stuck in this hell, mourning their deaths.

The group went silent as we all revelled in this moment. We would never see him again and we all wanted to say our proper goodbyes. I had gained control over my sobs and slowly breathed through my mouth to calm down. The redness of my nose and cheeks pressed against Harry's side as he wrapped his arms around me in the most comforting way possible. I sniffled and breathed one last time to calm down. Then I mustered up the strength and spoke my final goodbye.

"My sweet Niall." I stroked his pale cheeks lightly with two fingers. The dirt and blood stained my fingers, but I ignored it.

"Hi best friend." I smiled. "I know you're up there. I know you're watching." I chuckled through my tears. "So, I'm going to keep this short, because I know you hate when I ramble on." My family laughed quietly. The tears started to reappear. "I know you must be so upset that you're missing out on all the fun." I laughed. "But I think it's for the best you know." I sniffled quietly and looked away. My eyes glazed over the endless ocean and the sea gulls flying over the gully. A perfect memory replaced my thoughts.
"You know. There was a time when we came here, just the three of us. You, Jordyn and I. And, you had given every dollar we had to the small little homeless lady by the beach." I sniffled. "And, even though you knew we would have to get a one-bedroom place that was way too small for the three of us...you still insisted on giving her all the money we had. That's how generous you were." I smiled. "And, when we entered this...tiny little apartment right above the convenience store. You made Jordyn and I share the small single bed while you took the couch. You wanted us to have the most comfortable place to sleep because you were so guilty for giving away all our money." We laughed.

"Even when you were doing the right thing, you felt bad for the wrong reasons." I shook my head with a smile. "And it was so obvious that we should have taken the two couches, but you wanted us to have the best." My fingers raked over his blonde hair lovingly. "And the next morning." A smile broke out on my lips. "I walked into the kitchen and watched as you and Jordyn made pancakes." I laughed. "You were both smiling and laughing and throwing flour and making a massive mess for me to clean up." Blair cutely chuckled in my lap and I hugged her closer to my chest." ...and I remember wondering how happy you both were in that moment." I paused and took in a breath. "I know you loved her Niall. We all knew. And her death crushed you." My warm fingers raked through his soft hair. "I want you to be happy like that again. With her. Wherever you are. I want you to finally tell her you love her and be happy again." The tears spilled down my cheeks. "I want you to find her and never let her go. I want you to promise me that Ni-Ni. Promise me you will find peace with her. We will be fine, ignore us. This is all about you" I laughed.

I paused and looked deeply into his emotionless expression. I whispered my final words with a huff,

"One day we will meet again Ni-Ni. All of us. Maybe when Theo and Blair have their own children and Harry and I are grey and old and finally knocking on death's door...One day we will be a family again, and one day maybe we can truly show you just how much we love you..."